


Waypoint

by EllieL



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Missing Scene, Shadow of Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 12:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17060066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieL/pseuds/EllieL
Summary: "Matthew had detected the second heartbeat in Amsterdam..." - The Shadow of Night





	Waypoint

**Author's Note:**

> That passage from Shadow of Night seemed to be begging to be fleshed out a bit.

Diana nearly fell asleep against him in the taxi from the airport, but she struggled to stay awake and take in the early morning sights of Amsterdam. The red eye from Montreal had gotten them in at 5AM, and while the first class seats had been more comfortable than any commercial flight she’d previously experienced, it had not been enough to get the sleep her exhausted body craved. She didn’t protest when Matthew helped her out of the cab and kept an arm around her as he swept them in to the townhouse.  


  
On another day, another visit, she would have been awed by the seventeenth century architecture and art, so much art, nearly covering the walls. This morning, however, her eyes barely registered the Rembrandt or de Hooch, or the tapestry hanging by the stairs.

  
Matthew stopped and turned to her, standing with one foot on the first step. “The shower is on the second floor. Are you all right, or do you want me to carry you up?” His thumb brushed the dark circles under her eyes before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He had to know the answer, but couldn’t help himself from asking.

  
“I’ll be fine. I’m just tired and looking forward to getting home.” She took his hand and wove her fingers through his. His other arm went around her waist, guiding her up through the old house. It was clean but smelled long-empty, with dust sheets thrown over some of the furniture they passed and the aroma of floor wax lingering in the air.

  
The four poster bed here was not quite as imposing as the one at the Old Lodge, but it was still substantial and occupied a fair amount of floor space. He guided her to it, with just a little push. “Why don’t you lay down for an hour while I call Marcus? It’s a long drive to Sept-Tours from here.”

  
The sheets were fresh and the bed was soft, and she sank into the downy pillows without a word of objection. Before drifting off to sleep, she felt the brush of his lips against hers, as his hand rested, for just a moment, over their child. Tucking the blankets around her, she was asleep before he left her side.

  
The sun was brighter when she was awakened by a firmer kiss. Her body felt slightly better rested, even if her mind still felt a bit sluggish. Matthew stroked her hair. “Are you ready to get up?”

  
She groaned just a little at the idea. “I’d like to sleep for a week. I didn’t realize how much energy bringing us back would take.” Quieter, she whispered, “I was so worried I couldn’t get us home. I couldn’t get to the Old Lodge. I could only find Madison.”

  
“But you did bring us home,  _ mon coeur _ .” He kissed her cheek. “Is it just the timewalking?”

  
She knew what was really worrying him, worrying both of them. They had no clue how timewalking might affect the baby. Her hand rested on her abdomen and she tried to sense the developing child, but felt out of her depth. “I think we’re fine. But I’m not sure what I should be feeling. You seem to be able to tell before I can.”

  
“I’ve been able to hear the heartbeat, though not as clearly as I can hear yours. And you’ve smelled different.” His nose trailed coolly along the curve of her neck. “But it’s subtle, and right now you unfortunately carry so many scents from that recycled plane air that I can’t tell anything. Do you want to take a shower?”

  
That was the best idea she’d heard since they’d returned. It had been far, far too long since she’d been able to enjoy a proper shower. “That sounds like a brilliant idea.” Eagerly, she flung the covers off and was halfway to her feet before his arm caught around her.

  
“May I join you?”

  
“Only if you don’t hog all the hot water. I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted a shower so badly.”

  
Matthew laughed softly as he led her to the bathroom. It was much more modern than the rest of the house she’d seen, with clean lines and white tile. There was no tub, but one corner was occupied by a large glassy shower, with a high-set, massive showerhead. She made a beeline for it, but he beat here there.

  
“Let me turn this on for a bit first. It’s been a couple years since I’ve lived here, and it’s always taken a few minutes to heat up.”

  
She stepped back to let him fiddle with the fixture and began shedding travel-rumpled clothing. Once bare, she watched as he slowly finished removing his own clothing. “Are you tired too, Matthew? You’ve never said how much sleep you need.”

  
Shrugging off his shirt, he met her eyes, looking weary. “I am. Usually a few hours a month is enough. Occasionally a days long sleep, though not often. But it’s difficult for me.” He didn’t need to elaborate on why; she could see all their worries etched in his face for just a moment, before he looked away. She reached up to cup his cheek in her hand, and he turned his head into her touch, enough to kiss her palm, then met her eyes again. “Once we get to Sept-Tours, I plan to spend a whole night asleep with you.”

  
He caught her hand, twined his fingers with hers for a moment before giving her a gentle tug, pulling her into the shower and under the hot spray. She groaned loudly as the water sluiced over her, removing dirt from sixteenth century England and dust from the hop barn in Madison. Her muscles began to relax instantly.

  
“I’d nearly forgotten how good this feels.”

  
“I did warn you before we left. It’s difficult to appreciate, though, until you’ve been without it.”

  
She leaned back against him and savored the feeling of the water rushing over both of them. His hands slid across her body, one holding a bar of soap. The lather trailed across her body, smelling of honey.  It was intimate but not erotic, the glide of his hands firm across her skin, pausing over the growing swell of her abdomen.

  
Suddenly he turned her and crouched down, hands firm on her hips to support her, as he pressed his ear against her stomach. Off kilter for a moment, she put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. “Matthew? Is everything okay?” Her fingers tightened on him.

  
When he turned his face up to her, eyes wide with wonder, her concern turned to a hesitant smile. Her thumb stroked his shoulder, waiting.

  
“There are two.” She’d never seen him smile to broadly, eyes full of joy and wonder.

  
He rose and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her almost off her feet. She was well positioned to meet his kiss then, and did so with great enthusiasm.

  
“Twins?” she eventually managed to gasp. “You’re sure?”

  
One hand dropped to her abdomen. “As sure as I can be without any medical equipment. Marcus will have equipment at home for us to examine you. Them.” He laughed just a little, giddy and adorable all over again.

  
“Marcus knows already?”

  
“I told him when I called while you were asleep. I want to make sure you are both--all--healthy as soon as we can. He won’t tell anyone.”

  
She kissed him lightly once more, then turned her back into the spray, soaking her hair. “Then let’s get cleaned up and on our way home so I can tell my aunts and Ysabeau.”

  
No longer did she feel quite so exhausted; she wanted to be at Sept-Tours, reunited with family and sharing their news and finally checking on her pregnancy with modern medical technology. Shampoo washed away sixteenth century styling products and she was feeling significantly more like her 21st century self when she took the soap from Matthew and offered to help wash his back.

  
The twinkle that had appeared in his eye when her hands slid across his shoulders disappeared, though, as the water suddenly turned icy as her hands traced down across his shoulder blades. She jumped away with a shriek, and he shook his head, sending cold droplets flying. “Damned old house. Go dry off, Diana, the cold water doesn’t bother me.”

  
Hastily, she retreated from the chilly water and found a stack of enormous towels. She carried one over to the shower for Matthew, then wrapped another around her damp hair as she sorted out her clothes. There was nothing for her to change into, and she had pulled her leggings back on and was taking an experimental sniff of her shirt when he emerged from the shower.

  
“You can wear one of my shirts if you’d prefer. There should be plenty in the dressing room. It’s the door just to the right.”

  
She left him to dry off and wandered back into the bedroom and over to the dressing room. There was an entire rack of shirts in varying shades of grey; she chose a very pale grey for herself and slid a slightly darker one off the hanger for him. The shirt was very nearly long enough to be a dress on her, and she was carefully rolling up the cuffs to a wearable length when he joined her, in clean trousers and looking more refreshed as well.

  
“It’s nearly nine hours to Sept-Tours from here. If we leave soon, we can be there by dinner time.”

  
“I don’t suppose there’s any tea or breakfast here before we go?”

  
He shook his head. “I don’t even think there’s much wine here anymore. I’ve rarely been here for more than a night or two in years. We can stop somewhere as we’re leaving, get you some tea and a pastry for the road.”

  
“Sounds perfect.” She twisted her damp hair into a braid, and looked out the window overlooking the canal. “We’ll have to come back here when we can stay. I’ve never gotten to spend much time in Amsterdam.”

  
Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he kissed the top of her head. “I’d like that very much.” He seemed content to just hold her for a moment, then asked, “Are you ready to leave now?”

  
“Yes,” she sighed, “the sooner we leave the better. And you don’t have to do all of the driving.”

  
“You can try to sleep a bit while I drive the first leg, and get us past Paris.” He guided her out of the bedroom, and she followed him down the stairs.

  
“Do you have a house there, too?” She wracked her tired brain, trying to think of what she recalled of the property Hamish had mentioned before they’d timewalked.

  
“There is de Clermont property in Paris. My sister is living there now, though.” He didn’t elaborate on which of his sisters, and after her encounter with Louisa, she was not particularly keen on meeting the others just yet.

  
A rack of keys hung next to a door at the very bottom of the stairs, next to a heavy door. His fingers skimmed across them, before selecting one with an old brass key fob. “I’ll try to avoid the city as much as possible, though. Once we get south, it’s beautiful drive.”

  
When he opened the door to the garage, however, he stopped abruptly in front of her. At his mumbled curse at Marcus, she peered around his shoulder to see a very un-Matthew-like sportscar.

***


End file.
